Currents - Corvette News and Notes - August 2014

Corvette Recovery Program

As we're sure most of you know, tragedy struck the National Corvette Museum on February 12, 2014, when a sinkhole opened up and swallowed eight rare Vettes. After stabilizing the area the slow and painful process of recovering the cars began. First to be lifted out was the '09 ZR-1 “Blue Devil” on March 3. It looked to have only sustained minimal damage and drove out of the museum under its own power.

The second car out of the hole was a '93 40th Anniversary example and it didn't fare nearly as well as the ZR-1. The damage was expected as the cars fell more than 30 feet and many were buried under rubble. As John Spencer, manufacturing integration manager for Corvette, told us, “The 40th Anniversary looks much worse than it really is. Practically every body panel and piece of glass will need to be replaced. However, underneath the frame looks straight, the suspension seems to be intact, and the steering gear still works. It is definitely salvageable.”

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The third car, pulled from the sinkhole on March 4, was a '62. Luck was on its side as the vintage Corvette sustained very little damage. “The recovery of the first three cars went flawlessly, and the cars are in remarkably good shape,” commented Spencer. “Unfortunately, the remaining five cars are either partially or totally covered in debris. We expect their recovery will be much more challenging, and the cars to be in much worse condition.”

Keep an eye on our website and Facebook page for more news as the other five Corvettes are carefully recovered.